The subject matter of this invention relates to a vehicle signaling system, and more particularly to a lighting system for advising motorists following a motor vehicle that a vehicle is being decelerated to give to those motorists an indication of how severe the motor vehicle is being decelerated.
During the course of operating a motor vehicle, a motorist must be constantly aware of the manner in which other motorists are operating their vehicles. In the case of a motorist following another motor vehicle, the following motorist must be careful to maintain a safe stopping distance between his vehicle and the vehicle which he is following. It has therefore been the general practice to equip all motor vehicles with brake lights that are visible to following motorists, and are automatically energized whenever the vehicle on which they are mounted is being braked.
It is common to utilize a red light mounted on the rear of a motor vehicle. This red light is activated immediately upon initial activation of the motor vehicle brake. The intensity of the red light is constant and also the red light is activated during the entire time the brake is applied. A following driver is unable to ascertain whether the vehicle is merely slowing down or is making a fast emergency stop.
In the past, various systems have been proposed to indicate to following motorists that a vehicle is being decelerated at a unusually rapid rate. For example, a system has been proposed to indicate the normal braking of the vehicle by energization of the normal vehicle brake lamps and then to further indicate abnormal hard braking of the vehicle by energization of additional brake lamps to give an increased warning to following motorists. This additional information, provided by such a prior system, is no doubt of value. However, the disadvantages of these systems have prevented their gaining widespread acceptance. Probably the most significant reason that these systems have not gained widespread acceptance is that they have been far too complex in construction and also confusing to many motorists in their application.